Can I get into a good school with a LOW SSAT score?

<p>yeah..i really liked it there
Exeter is my top school though...but that is a reach.</p>

<p>Deerfield is incredible, and I am really happy I made the choice that I did. It has so many NE boarding school traditions, and really has a "family" feel to it. I love it!</p>

<p>that's awesome !
i'm very jealous
hahaha</p>

<p>Deerfield looks like a wonderful school. It's too bad I never considered it...</p>

<p>Benevolent, where are you applying?</p>

<p>Hey Everyone!</p>

<p>Yesterday I was accepted by Andover, Exeter, Groton, Hotchkiss, and Middlesex, Governor's, and Brooks.</p>

<p>Waitlisted: SPS</p>

<p>I was accepted into some incredible schools and my SSAT's were less than average...</p>

<p>82% (V:89, M:63, R:83) 86% (V:85, M:86, R:76)</p>

<p>A girl in my grade applied to Andover with 98% SSAT's and was flat our rejected...</p>

<p>Your SSAT's simply qualify you. The rest depends on everything else!</p>

<p>Well, it actually varies every year. Ex: if thereā€™s a student who scored a 99% on the SSAT, and another student who scored an 80%ā€¦ it really varies with what the school needs. If the student with the 80% played an instrument, and the student with the 99% didnā€™t, the school would take the kid with the 80%. Especially if they need students who can play instruments. SSAT scores carry some weight, but you basically have to good at everything if you have scores that are 80% and lower. Schools like Phillips Exeter want students who can do a little bit of everything. Not geeks who live in a cubicle the whole day. SPORTS, FINE ARTS, AND PARTICIPATION IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ARE A NICE ADDITION TO YOUR APPLICATION</p>

<p>I personally do not go to either of those schools, but go to a prep school of equal caliber. I would defiantly look at the median SSAT score for those schools and ask your councilor wether or not others from your school have gotten in with similar scores. Not going to lie - itā€™s going to be hard to get into those with an SSAT of less than 80, but not impossible. I hope your transcript is stellar. Good luck!</p>

<p>For all future applicants with low ssat scores, donā€™t worry about it. I scored in the low 60ā€™s and I got into Choate (whoā€™s avg ssatis about a 90), Cate, Concord, and St. Andrewsā€™s (DE). All those schools have ssat avg above 80. SSATā€™s arenā€™t everything! Iā€™d say that interviews and applications matter more than the ssat. So donā€™t stress it. Youā€™ll be fine :D</p>

<p>Out of curiousity, did you have a hook?</p>

<p>Iā€™m not sure, but I donā€™t think so.
Iā€™m a latino male who needs full FA. I am, however, a great interviewee, does that count?</p>

<p>If you arenā€™t good at athletics or arenā€™t a super star in the arts, do you think community service can replace those two in your application? I have some athletics (but Iā€™m not very good) and I play the piano (will be starting saxophone or violin next year), but Iā€™m doing well in my community service. I would like to really stick to one thing for the next two years and just really improve on it, do you think community service is a good option?</p>

<p>Well, I am a good volleyball player, even though I wasnā€™t recruited. And I am involved in performing arts, but CS is a very useful thing to have on an application. CS displays commitment and BS like that quality in their student body. Music will also help alot, as it may be a hook at some schools who are looking for musicians. Out of curiosity, where are you applying to?</p>

<p>Iā€™m not sure yet, Iā€™m going into 7th grade next year (but I need to display some ā€œlong timeā€ commitment to things) so I still have a while, but I will be applying to the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship next year. I really like NMH, Taft, Andover, Emma Willard, and Cate (even though itā€™s in CA).
Iā€™m currently planning alot of volunteering and fundraising to do with a group of friends from school (we will be meeting over the summer). I was thinking of joining Girl scouts/ starting a troop. I really think I have the ā€œacademicā€ portion down, and Iā€™m taking all advanced classes. Itā€™s such a crap shoot that I donā€™t even know what I should do!</p>

<p>P.S. Do you prefer violin or saxophone?</p>

<p>How does Kent stand as far as a ā€œgoodā€ school? Compared to Exeter? What about Harvard admissions?</p>

<p>While Kent is still a very strong school, Exeter is on a completely different tier than Kent. There are no bad boarding schools, rather boarding schools that are bad for individual students. Exeter could be a bad school for one student while its perfect for another. It about the fit for the student, not the reputation of the school. But in general (based on people on CC), Exeter is regarded as a better school and has a much higher Ivy acceptance rate than Kent; not to say that Kent does not get Ivy acceptances.</p>

<p>Students get into Harvard from a number of schools. Going to a specific school isnā€™t going to ā€œincreaseā€ your chances. If anything, youā€™ll be competing in a pool of similarly situated students and find it harder to stand out. Worse - you can covet matriculation numbers all you want - but without the underlying data to know who is going (i.e. are the numbers high because of the high number of students with legacy, hooks, connections, full pays) you may find yourself attending a school for the wrong reason.</p>

<p>Find the school the fits you, and of those find the ones that want you. Whether you get into Harvard from BS has less to do with the school and a lot to do with whether Harvard wants you specifically. </p>

<p>Consider that many Harvard students come from public schools. And a recent study showed Harvard to be one of the 10 worst colleges in terms of economic diversity. So unless youā€™re a full pay - find a boarding school you like and stop worrying about the states.</p>

<p>I agree with Exie and yellow.</p>

<p>As for you, overandover98, your EC are coming out GREAT! Have you visited any of these schools?</p>

<p>P.S. I think violins are too cliche, Iā€™d do sax :D</p>

<p>Hopefully I could visit some schools this summer with my mom (bro and dad will be gone for a week to go camping). If not, winter break may open up an opportunity to visit. I appreciate the comment about the ECs, I was totally sure that I was behind everyone else. Thank you for the thing about the saxophone, Iā€™ve been trying to get my electives figured out for next tear and I was stuck between band and orchestra. I really wanted to do the sax, but everyone said orchestra was more ā€œeliteā€. Good luck at Choate!</p>

<p>@overandover98,
I donā€™t think you should do community service to be boost your application. Boarding schools can see this from a mile away. Iā€™d recommend spending a serious amount of time on either your sport or music. And by serious I mean over an hour a day of practice. You will improve really fast. Good luck.</p>